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Rohingya Refugee Crisis

The humanitarian crisis caused by escalating violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State is causing suffering on a catastrophic scale. As of 27 January, 688,000 new arrivals have been registered since 25 August. Population movements within Cox’s Bazar remain highly fluid, with increasing concentration in Ukhia, where the Government has allocated 3,000 acres for a new camp. People arrived at the new site before infrastructure and services could be established. Humanitarian partners continue to build the necessary infrastructure in very challenging conditions, with extremely limited space.

Not only has the pace of new arrivals since 25 August made this the fastest growing refugee crisis in the world, the concentration of refugees in Cox’s Bazar is now amongst the densest in the world. Refugees arriving in Bangladesh—mostly women and children—are traumatized, and some have arrived with injuries caused by gunshots, shrapnel, fire and landmines.

Before this crisis began, the country was already hosting a verified population of well over 200,000 Rohingya from Myanmar - and likely many more. Bangladesh was also coping with pressing needs and challenges of its own. The new arrivals are adding massive pressure to services in existing refugee camps and in makeshift settlements. Basic services are now badly outstripped, including water, health, and particularly shelter and sanitation. Conditions in the settlements and camps are now so critical that disease outbreaks are a looming prospect.

Refugees arriving in Bangladesh report fleeing appalling violations of human rights and other abuses in Myanmar. According to these harrowing accounts, villages have been burned down, parents or relatives have been killed in front of traumatized children, and women and girls have been raped or brutalized. UNHCR is already working to register new arrivals and provide comprehensive protection services.

More broadly, the United Nations and our partners are working closely with the Government of Bangladesh to scale up and coordinate the humanitarian response so as to ensure that refugees are protected in line with international standards, and to provide desperately needed support including food, shelter, health care and water. In Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, the humanitarian response to the influx of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar is coordinated by the Inter-Sector Coordination Group (ISCG) which is led by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The ISCG produces regular situation reports (see below) and other information products that provide the most up to date information – these products are available here.

To address the ongoing and increasing needs, a new Joint Response Plan was launched on 16 March 2018, requesting US$951 million to provide life-saving assistance to 1.3 million people, including Rohingya refugees who fled Myanmar to Bangladesh and local host communities.

The priority needs in the plan, which covers the March-December 2018 timeframe, include food, water and sanitation, shelter, and medical care. View funding updates here.